Aurora stood in front of her dorm mirror, brushing her curls into something that resembled order, though inside she was anything but composed. Her eyes still shimmered with the faintest hint of gold—remnants of power that refused to dim since the classroom incident. She hadn't slept. Who could, after watching a professor spew smoke and collapse like a puppet with its strings cut?
She could still hear the whispers: "Silence her before the blood moon."
Aurora's fingers trembled. She didn't know if the curse was making her stronger or simply peeling her apart, one layer at a time.
Behind her, Fiona's room remained closed. Silent. Too silent. After yesterday's confrontation, Fiona had vanished—physically and emotionally. But Aurora had felt her. Watching. Not just with eyes anymore.
She needed answers. And there was only one person who never lied to her face.
The scent of cloves and old books hit her the moment she stepped into the hidden corner of the Royal Crest library—the restricted archives, which Zayne had unsealed last night with nothing but a whispered charm and a bruised knuckle.
He was there, leaning against a shelf, reading an old grimoire like it was a tabloid. His leather jacket hung open, revealing a dark grey Henley and more tattoos than she remembered.
"You didn't run," he said without looking up.
"I'm not the running type," Aurora replied, stepping closer. "Though burning down a university might be a first."
Zayne finally met her gaze, something dark flashing behind his eyes. "You're glowing again."
"Yeah, that's new."
He shut the book and crossed to her, his hand rising to brush her cheek. His fingers paused a breath away. "Can I?"
Aurora nodded. His touch was gentle—unexpected, given the chaos they kept diving into. "Why does it feel like the more I touch you, the less I know who I am?"
"Because the curse feeds on intimacy. On love. On every heartbeat you share with someone else."
Aurora pulled back slightly. "And you? Are you just a... conduit?"
Zayne laughed. Bitter. Hollow. "I'm the spark. You're the kindling."
She rolled her eyes. "Great. So we burn together?"
He stepped closer, his breath ghosting over her lips. "Only if you kiss me again."
Aurora's spine stiffened with want. But before she could lean in, a deafening crack echoed through the stacks.
"Move!" Zayne shoved her aside just as a shelf came crashing down, books and all. Shadows slithered through the air—slick, oily smoke that moved like it had a mind.
From the smoke, a figure emerged. Female. Familiar. Fiona's voice, but twisted—deeper, guttural.
"You're the reason he left me," it spat. "You think you're powerful, but you're just meat wrapped in magic."
Aurora backed up, power humming at her fingertips. "Fiona, stop—"
"I'm not Fiona," the thing snapped. "She gave herself up willingly. For power. For revenge. For him."
Zayne went rigid beside her.
Aurora's breath caught. "Who's 'him'?"
The shadow-Fiona smirked. "Ask your lover. He wears many faces."
Then she struck.
Aurora barely had time to throw up a shield. Heat flared between her palms, golden and wild. The attack hit like a wrecking ball, sending her flying into the archive wall.
Zayne lunged, drawing a blade from thin air, his mouth already casting Latin spells that crackled like firecrackers.
But Fiona—or whatever she was now—laughed. "Too late, Kingsley. You touched her. She's already marked."
Aurora pushed to her feet, blood in her mouth. Her heart roared.
"No more games," she snarled.
Power surged. Books levitated around her. Pages ripped themselves free and swirled in the air like a storm. Aurora raised her arms—and the room exploded in light.
The shadow screamed, writhing, trying to retreat. But Aurora stepped forward, voice ringing like thunder:
"Return what you stole."
The smoke recoiled. Fiona's real face flickered beneath it—haunted, crying. Then she vanished.
Silence fell, broken only by the thudding of Aurora's heart.
Zayne rushed to her. "Are you okay?"
"No," she whispered, trembling. "But I'm not scared anymore."
He pulled her close. "You should be."
Aurora leaned into him, even as her hands crackled with magic. "What now?"
Zayne stared into the dark. "Now... we prepare. The blood moon rises in five nights."
Later that night, Aurora lay awake in his bed, tracing the lines of a spellbook with one finger.
"You knew her, didn't you?" she asked quietly.
Zayne didn't pretend not to know who she meant. "Fiona wanted power. I promised her a taste. I didn't know she'd drink the whole damn bottle."
"You were lovers."
Zayne exhaled. "Briefly. She wanted more than I could give. More than anyone should have."
Aurora turned her face to his. "And me?"
His answer was immediate. "You're the one I never saw coming."
He kissed her then, slow and deep. And this time, when the lights flickered and the shadows curled around them, she didn't flinch.
Because love wasn't the curse.
It was the key.
End of chapter 6